Randy Culver is an asphalt Late Models fan. He enjoyed watching them run as the premier class at Lake Erie Speedway.

But Culver is a racer at heart, not a spectator. He would rather run up front on the premier class than watch others do it. He enjoyed that opportunity in the Modifieds' strong debut season in that role at the Greenfield Township track a season ago.

The class had five different winners in 10 features, and a tight points-title chase down the stretch that Scott Wylie, a native of Blasdell, N.Y., and former Late Model driver, won by four points over Culver.

Now, it's time for the Modified field to take the next step in its second season as the headline division, starting with the opening event of the track's 2014 season Saturday night.

"I think (we're) going to expect a lot of the same," said Culver, a North East native. "I think you're going to see drivers step up and become even faster."

Along with the evenly matched competition, Culver pointed to the division's Erie-centric group of drivers, which stood at 16-17 per event.

"A lot of guys that were running Late Models were coming from a far distance, and they weren't bringing too many fans," Culver said. "The Modifieds are bringing a lot of fans to the track each and every week."

Branden Kaczay, executive vice president of business operations at LES, said the Modifieds did an admirable job in taking over for Late Models, which was the track's premier class from the inaugural 2002 season through 2012.

"The Late Models had been the feature division here for so long that some people wondered how (the Modifieds) would be able to fill those shoes," Kaczay said. "But the way they did it -- the competition, the show they put on and the professionalism they (displayed) -- they did a great job."

Modified drivers, who laid the foundation for their brand in 2013, can now build on it.

"I'm excited to see what they do in their second year as a feature division," Kaczay said.

Kaczay appreciated the effort drivers put forth to have a strong 2013 season.

"They got through it (with) very few growing pains," he said.

Now it's time for drivers to get back to work -- both to continue growing the class and to win a points championship.

"It was great to have a bunch of different winners (and) a lot of competition," Culver said. "Every year the competition steps up, so everybody has got to be on their game. Because if you're staying put, you're getting farther behind."

VICTOR FERNANDES can be reached at 870-1716 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ETNfernandes. Follow action from Lake Erie Speedway throughout the season at www.GoErie.com/racing and on Twitter.